City Council proposes zoning district for manufacturing

The City Council has proposed a new zoning district to reserve real estate for the manufacturing industry.

The Council’s report, which was released Tuesday, advises that the district occur in the city’s Industrial Business Zones or other areas that already contain industrial and manufacturing operations, Capital New York reported. Most of those zones are located in Queens and Brooklyn.

The report also includes recommendations for the creation of a creative economy district – for job growth in the media, tech and arts industries – and a mixed-use district.

The Council also calls for a “real mixed-use district.” Though mixed-use neighborhoods such as Soho and Long Island City currently exist, the report says that the economics of residential development have crowded out manufacturing spaces.

“A zone which supports and requires the creation of commercial and compatible industrial space alongside residential would create dynamic new neighborhoods instead of just residential development,” the report said. [Capital New York] — Mark Maurer